Athens, Attiki, Greece

ATHENS (Athína) has been inhabited continuously for over 7,000 years. Protected by a ring of mountains, its Acropolis was a natural choice for prehistoric settlement and commands views of all approaches from the sea. Development into a city-state and an artistic center reached its apotheosis in the Classical period of the fifth century BC, with a flourish of art, architecture, literature, and philosophy that has pervaded Western culture ever since. Today, more than a third of Greek citizens live in Athens.

Population: The population of Athens is 772,072, while the total population of Greece is approximately 10.7 million.

Location: Athens is the capital of Greece, which is located in Southern Europe on the Mediterranean Sea.

Climate: The climate tends to be Mediterranean, with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

Local Time: Athens is on Eastern European Time (EET), which is UTC/GMT +2 (or UTC/GMT +3 during Daylight Saving Time). It is 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles. National Day: Independence Day is celebrated on March 25, commemorating the 1821 proclamation of the War of Independence.

Flag of Greece: The Greek flag features nine equal horizontal stripes of alternating blue and white. A blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bears a white cross, which symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country.